Power 50 - #15: John O'Donnell

BACKGROUND CHECK

A former music journalist who served time at both Rolling Stone and JUICE magazines, John O'Donnell founded the Murmur record label for Sony Music Australia in 1994. After being promoted to a corporate-level position at Sony, O'Donnell was recruited by EMI Music Australia/New Zealand to become CEO in 2002 - a position he held until 2008. During this time, O'Donnell was also Chairman of the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia Ltd (PPCA) and a member of the ARIA Board. After leaving EMI in 2008 to write The 100 Best Australian Albums book - since updated, in 2017, to The 110 Best Australian Albums - and co-manage Cold Chisel (which he continues to do), O'Donnell returned to run EMI Music Australia in 2013.

THE YEAR THAT WAS

As Managing Director of EMI Music Australia, O'Donnell has been instrumental in the signing and career advancement of global sensations Troye Sivan and 5 Seconds Of Summer. Sivan's Bloom album landed in Top 10 charts the world over (#3 in Australia and New Zealand, #4 on the US Billboard 200, #7 in Ireland and #10 in the UK) and 5SOS became the first Australian act in 13 years to top the ARIA End Of Year Singles Chart thanks to their Youngblood single. 5 Seconds Of Summer also took home Best Australian Live Act, Best Group and Song Of The Year at the 2018 ARIA Awards. As well as winning triple j's 2018 Australian Album Of The Year, Middle Kids' debut album Lost Friends also landed in the ARIA Albums Chart Top 10. Nature by Paul Kelly became his second consecutive #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and then EMI Music Australia capped off their successful year by signing 2018 triple j Unearthed High winner KIAN.

2018'S CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT?

"For me, the crowning achievement was the triple j J Award for Album Of The Year going to Middle Kids, for their debut album Lost Friends. This was a brilliant and proud moment for this great band who are on their own path to somewhere really special. It was a triumph for great, personal art - and the sales are catching up."